One Simple Difference
by AmeChi
Summary: After seeing a horrifying dream of C.C. committing suicide, Lelouch sets out to finally make a difference. He will do anything, "doubt is out of the question." - LuLuCC - //It's still going. Don't think it's over yet!
1. Chapter 1

One Simple Difference

CODE GEASS

By: Chi~

**Disclaimer:**** Don't own CG…damn it. **

**A/N: **Decided to write this because I haven't written anything dark at all on FF and I thought, "Why the hell not." Plus, the sudden inspiration to write this was driving me crazy. :sighs: Anyways, this is a mere two-shot with a pretty dark theme to it. The first installment will be in C.C.'s point of view and the second is in Lelouch's. This is also AU. It has two endings, and deals with the time space continuum.

That's about it. And so, OSD shall commence.

**Warning:**** Depression, thoughts of suicide, coarse language, blood, masochism, angst, suicide and character death. **

* * *

One Simple Difference

-The Original-

* * *

The blood pumping from her heart rushed throughout her body, raising her blood pressure, made her feel light headed, a nose bleed creeping up on her. One would force themselves to sit until they could calm down, but she just couldn't. There was nothing she could do other than stare and listen to the muffled voice of the person who was talking to her.

They weren't really talking to her. She didn't think so. She knew so. They were speaking in a hushed tone, a soft tone that she knew too well, and they had a gentle look on their face…but looks were deceiving. She saw right through it.

They weren't talking to her. No, they were taking her by the hair, ramming her face in the ground, beating her head in the soil, laughing at her blood splashing; laughing at her escaping dignity, feeling, soul, mind…her heart.

They weren't talking to her. They were killing her with their gentle words, laughing – always laughing out of their sick sadism.

"…Rachel showed me who you really are, Crystal," the person suddenly had a sex. It was a he. Blond hair. Hazel eyes. About a few inches taller than her. Masculine yet lean form.

She knew who this person was. She knew how she felt about him. She knew that she loved him.

"You're…too much of a selfish, sneaky person," he shook his head, looking at her disapprovingly, his gentle features hardening. "You never let me in. You never let me know you perfectly…I could never be able to trust you…"

She felt her arms loosen around the books she was carrying as well as her heart grow heavy. She was speechless.

"I could never fall in love with someone like you," he said softly, looking down at the floor between them, his brow furrowed, his lips in a deep frown. "You're too much of a coward for something like that…"

She didn't know how she could even keep her face so impassive, but she pulled it off. Her devastation was ruining her, tearing her heart apart, but stupidly…she still couldn't show it.

"Jesus, you can't even show me how you feel right now, about this," he looked up at her again, staring at her, this time, with disgust. "I hate people like you. You're never true to yourselves…you're people who can't be loved…who can't love back…"

She didn't understand how tears couldn't form in her eyes.

"You've wasted my time enough, you piece of shit," he muttered, straightening up to leave her there in the hall where many other students were passing by, not even paying attention to what was happening. "I'm glad this is over. You're absolutely nothing."

She couldn't make herself push out her hand and grab his arm to keep him from passing her, walking out of her life forever. She didn't understand why. Why couldn't she say anything? Why couldn't she show anything? Why couldn't she do anything?

His shoulder bumped into hers harshly, making her drop her books, hardbacks landing painfully on her feet. Her arms stayed up and hardly folded, as if she were still holding her books to her chest when she wasn't.

"Thanks a lot for wasting two years of my life, _witch_," he hissed in her ear just as she bowed her head, her bangs shading her eyes and making them invisible to passer-biers.

And he was on his way, out of her life. Forever. Taking her heart in his hands, pulling it out of her ever centimeter he moved from her. After all, he had stolen her heart.

If he was leaving her now, her heart was going to go with him.

And she would be an empty shell. Absolutely nothing. Just as he said. Just a piece of shit. That's what she was. A untrustworthy, stoic, unloving, piece of shit _witch_. Incapable of loving and being loved. Empty. Inhuman. Disgusting. Life sucking thief.

She was absolutely nothing. To anyone.

Especially to him.

* * *

Crystal didn't cry that night. Nor did she tell her mother, her only parent, what had happened. Perhaps it was out of shock. Perhaps it was just the mere depression that stopped her, but overall, she still didn't say a word. She didn't even say a word about it to her best friend, Kallen, who had come over for their usual movie night.

She was glad that she just stayed as impassive as she did. If she hadn't, she didn't know what the hell she would do. Laugh? Throw a tantrum? Scowl? Cry?

Crystal had thought of all that he had said, about the truth, about this girl _Rachel_, about how much she loved him, about how she was going to handle this situation. She had come to the conclusion that, of course, her easy to trick ex-boyfriend, was wrong. As well as this Rachel bitch who didn't know a single thing about her. But still, as stupid as she knew she was, she still started to consider all that he had said she was.

"_I could never fall in love with someone like you…You're too much of a coward for something like that…" _

Perhaps she was? She could easily remember the many times where he would touch her, simple on the small of her back or just to give her a quick hug, she would freeze, as if she didn't want him to touch her at all. As if she didn't want him to take her from herself and make them become official with togetherness. Perhaps she really couldn't handle the love he would always show in a simple touch of his hands.

And to think she loved him too. With all her heart. She couldn't even keep his. There was a reason why she didn't have his, and yet he had had hers.

"_You never let me in. You never let me know you perfectly…I could never be able to trust you…"_

Hence the reason why she couldn't have his. He didn't trust her. She hadn't let him into her heart. She hadn't let him _have_ her heart.

She was just as he said. Selfish. A coward. Incapable to love. Incapable to love back.

The hiss in her ear, the sharp breath that almost felt like it cut her ear's flesh, whispered repeatedly in her head, _"Thanks a lot for wasting two years of my life, _witch_."_

She didn't know how the hell she could let such things get to herself. She had always been a tough person; a tough girl. But…perhaps love had screwed her over and made her realize that she was more human than what people, even her ex, thought she was.

And now she was empty. Beaten until everything that was hers was lost. She wasn't a witch. She wasn't in human. She was human. A pitiful one, indeed.

"_You've wasted my time enough, you piece of shit…I'm glad this is over. You're absolutely nothing…Thanks a lot for wasting two years of my life, _witch_."_

As days passed slowly, her emotions and body always numb, she had noticed a beautiful black haired girl hang around the boy she had loved with all her heart. She figured that was probably Rachel.

The girl who had seen right through her.

She was more beautiful then she had expected, really. She had expected her to be very pretty, like her, but the girl seemed more graceful, more…_human_. Hair that hung down to her waist, curling at the ends oh-so-perfectly. Magnificently bright blue. Petite, curvy body. Slender fingers. Perfect, heart-shaped face. Rosy lips.

Perfect. With a smile.

They always seemed happy together whenever she'd pass by. She remembered the seemingly countless times she'd walked by them as they were gazing deep into each others eyes, speaking in hushed tones, their bodies close together.

Today she noticed them joking around with each other, smiling and laughing, leaning against his car without a care in the world. Her eyes had drifted to her giggling form, watching as her innocent features brightened even more as she conversed with him. And then she looked at the boy she had loved, watched as he laughed along with her, truly…happy.

What happened after that was all a haze, and then she found herself heaving painfully against a toilet, confused and wondering how the hell a toilet could get outside. And then she realized she must have rushed to the bathroom inside the school unconsciously.

Heaving and purging her breakfast, she coughed loudly as she flushed, wondering if she was really falling apart. If she was really losing herself.

And then she started to wonder why the hell she was even throwing up. Surely she was puking because of just seeing the sight she saw, a happy couple. Could it have been something more? Could it have been the breakfast she had eaten? Had she eaten something bad and her body was just rejecting it now?

But then, other thoughts rolled through her mind. Thoughts that she wished she hadn't of thought in the first place, because her stomach was suddenly doing back-flips again. The said thoughts were of the times she had had sex with the boy she loved. The times when she had thrown her head back, moaned his name, cried his name, yelled his name. The times when he had touched her in such a way she couldn't resist but shudder out of rapture.

It wasn't only that that caused her to heave, no…it was the thought about that single time when he had stopped in the middle of their love making, where he announced that the condom had broken. And then it rolled on, deeper into the memory, until she remembered herself breathlessly saying, _"It doesn't matter, keep going…"_

Dry heaving, she felt tears finally start to cloud her vision.

_It can't be_, she thought with a mental whimper. _It can't…_

Breathlessly struggling to her feet, she made her way out of her open stall, leaned against the nearest sink and camouflaged her tears with a few splashes of water on her face.

Her mind continued to chant out of denial, even though deep down, she knew there was the ultimate possibility.

Feeling overwhelmed and suddenly afraid, she dug in her pocket shakily, took out her mobile and pressed a simple speed-dial digit that connect her to a very special person she really needed at that moment. Someone who just didn't rule up to her best friend Kallen at all.

"Lelouch," she almost cried loudly, but she calmed herself and merely let herself say the name in a breathless, sorrowful way. "I need you…"

* * *

They planned to meet at her local pharmacy, which was a simple five minute drive for her, a thirty minute drive for him. She had always lived in the city all her life, meeting Lelouch in middle school before he moved a year later, when they were in Junior High. They had kept in touch ever since, Lelouch visiting occasionally on a random weekend or holiday. It just…seemed to work that way. There was more to it, she was sure, because they both had a protective streak for each other. Perhaps their relationship was stronger then she though...but she didn't know.

When it came to emergencies, though, they would even skip a few days of school, even leave school while classes are in session, to work the situation out together. She remembered doing so during her junior year, when he called her just as she entered the bathroom. He had gotten into some trouble with his dad, and she left without even returning the bathroom pass to her English teacher.

Now he was paying her back, being the greatest friend she'd ever had, meeting her at the most important moment of her life.

He found her in the womanly aisle, staring at the many different pregnancy tests with her. He hand gently squeezed her shoulder, looking down at her through eyes that honestly shouted that he would support her. Always.

"C.C.," he whispered softly before pulling her into a warm embrace, as if he could feel her inner turmoil. As if he could feel that her world was crumbling and falling apart around her.

She bought four tests, both of them meeting again at her house ten minutes later. Her mother would be out until the evening, since she had work, so she wouldn't even notice the pregnancy tests in the trash by the time she'd get home. Luckily, her mother loved Lelouch, so she wouldn't care if he was there, even for a day or two.

She did each test quickly, making sure they weren't too far apart in time so the waiting wouldn't be so unbearable. And then she joined Lelouch outside her bathroom, sitting on the floor against the wall, patiently waiting for her.

She sat in his lap, buried her face in his chest and wrapped her arms around his torso. He returned the embrace, even pressed a gentle kiss against her hair to prove his support. They sat the excruciating ten minutes together, in pure silence.

As if it was instinct, they both got up to check on all the tests a long second before the buzzer went off, signaling the results were ready.

Two pairs of eyes, gold and violet, peered down at the four pregnancy tests that were lined perfectly on the bathroom counter, staring at the straight row of red symbols. The red plus.

Positive. Straight through.

"Fuck," Lelouch didn't stop himself from muttering the curse out loud, his hand reaching his mouth to hold it in a nervous habit. She looked up to him, her eyes slowly becoming tearful even though she didn't know it. She wondered if he really _did_ care that her life was officially ruined. That she was carrying the child of her ex-lover, who didn't love her anymore and thought she was truly, _truly_ a witch.

"I'm at least in the first or second month," she said, barely a whisper. "I don't know how morning sickness works…"

"C.C.," he started before he quickly backed out of the way, watching her run to the toilet that was close by. He noticed the tears as she dry heaved in the bowl.

He stepped over, politely holding her hair out of her face and rubbing her back as all that came through his mouth was, "I'm sorry."

* * *

"Kale," Lelouch muttered as he continued to brush his fingers through her hair, her head on his chest. "He's a real idiot." He lightly pulled a few strands of her green locks of her hair, watching as it gracefully fell back down due to gravity. He shifted, getting them both comfortable, since he was merely sitting on the floor against the bathroom wall with her resting in his lap.

"Hn." _His new girl saw right through me. All she did was open his eyes. For all I know, he's a smart person for listening to her, and an idiot for ever going out with me_.

"And to fun off with some black haired _Barbie_?" She felt him shake his head. "I honestly don't know what the hell you saw in him."

"Hn." _She's so…beautiful. I could never compare…_ She remembered how they laughed and joked together, happy, having the of the their lives. _That didn't really happen with us…_

"Oi, witch, you _are_ going to get over him, right?" His fingers stopped running through her hair, and she suddenly felt his free hand grasp her chin, making her look up to him.

Her eyes stared back into his, puffy and swollen, and she averted her gaze when she muttered, "don't call me that."

"What?" He blinked at her, forced her to look back at him again.

Her eyes pleaded silently to him. "Don't call me _witch_."

His brows furrowed, confusion filling his depths. "Why not? You never minded."

"Just…don't," she whispered, burying her face in his chest again. _Hearing it just makes it worse. It sounded disgusting when Kale called me it…just don't…please…_

He did as he was told, wrapping his arms around her, almost protectively as they just lied together in silence. His shirt soon became damp.

* * *

It wasn't hard faking her usual façade as Lelouch stayed over for the next two days. It wasn't difficult at all. Sarcasm was usually their way of communication, besides occasionally having deep conversations about what they thought about certain things. Plus, they seemed to be competitive with each other on video games. That wasn't hard acting.

She knew she had to keep act like she could get over anything with Lelouch, because that's what Lelouch thought of her. Such a thing _used_ to be true, that she could get over anything…but love tore that aspect apart. But Lelouch didn't know that.

Her world was falling apart, burning at her feet. He didn't need to know that. The last thing she wanted was to burden Lelouch, God forbid her mother. Besides, he helped her with everything as he stayed. He was there when she'd run to the bathroom to either dry heave or actually vomit. He was there whenever she just wanted to lie in bed, due to her slowly becoming sore breasts.

His support was what she needed…but the grip of the situation still seemed out of hand for her. She felt, deep down, in pure honesty, that she wouldn't be able to deal with this. The situation was too big.

But no matter what, no matter how many times she tried to coax herself into "making it all better", she held out until Lelouch and her mother were out of sight. The last thing she needed was for them to realize the extent of her fear, of her emotions on the situation.

The regret she felt, for lying to Lelouch, was a deeper cut then she thought. He had no idea. He had no idea at all what she was slowly deciding on doing when he was gone. When he was out of her sight, for her to deal with her problems alone. He had no idea of her fear.

The old her would of thought he was an idiot for not even thinking that she would be breaking down if she had loved someone, got dumped horribly, and then realized she was pregnant with their child. But, she just felt guilty for not even _telling_ him the truth.

It broke her already ruined heart to more pieces at how blind he was, at how blind she kept him. But she kept him blinded until the very end. _Whatever it takes…_

When the end came, it was almost unbearable. The fear was stronger. Her arms were shaking, even. She thanked the weather that night, that it was cool, so she could easily pass the shaking a simple case of the chills.

They stared at each other, a small smirk on his face as she faked hers. She had to keep her façade up, she had to. If she didn't, he would see the truth…and she would have to live in more misery.

His hand softly grasped hers, holding in securely in his as stepped closer to her, their faces close. She felt her heart speed up, continued to stare up at him as if she didn't notice their closeness.

His head dipped, his breath suddenly warming her ear. "You know I'm your warlock," he paused, probably looking at her with his beautiful violet depths. "Right?"

"Yes," she almost choked out, but her voice was surprisingly steady. _Lelouch, don't do it…please…it has to end…_

"Good," he whispered before his arms wrapped around her, holding her in a warming embrace.

_Please…don't…_

"I'll always be there for you," he said softly in her hair, tearing her heart even more. "Our quiet promise, right?"

His arms tightened comfortably after she nodded sincerely, believing him…but still feeling the fear overcoming the belief quickly.

_I really do…but it's too late…Lelouch…_

She felt him kiss her cheek as he let go of her, giving her one last smile before bidding good bye and getting in his car. Her feet were glued to the floor.

A part of her screamed out for him, to make him stop what she was about to do next. But she wouldn't let it. Her fear wouldn't. Besides, she didn't want someone like him helping a person who truly had nothing else to live for.

Lelouch was better then that, that's what she believed. She would never doubt his promise to her. She never would.

_I love you…Lelouch…_

But it wasn't enough to save her. After all, she was incapable of loving. She knew that, for a fact.

One tear was shed as his car disappeared around the block, out of her sight.

* * *

The water was warm, just as she liked it. Everything was set.

Her mother was out of town on a business trip, she wouldn't be there any time soon. Lelouch was gone as well, finally. She was all alone.

Bad choice.

She gazed down in the bath water, staring down at herself impassively, as she always did. Peering down at who she was: a person without feeling. Incapable of loving. Incapable of being loved. Pregnant with her ex-lover's child. Broken. Alone. _Nothing_.

Her hands grazed against the skin where her womb was, knowing another life was growing day by day inside her. Kale's child. The only thing she had left of him.

It was better this way, she thought. That way, the child wouldn't be in such pain. After all, she could never love anything. The child would just have a life of misery.

The thought sickened her.

She reached for the box cutter lying innocently on the bathroom counter, knowing exactly what she was going to do with it. First, she would cut at her thighs. Then, she would get in the water, watch as the blood drifted and swirled within the liquid as it became one before slitting her wrists. Last but not least, her neck.

She hadn't wanted her mother to come home to such a bloody mess, but this was the only way she could think of that would cause her all the pain Kale had suffered. That Kallen had suffered. That her mother had suffered. That Lelouch had suffered.

Because she was nothing but a wicked witch.

"_You know I'm your warlock…"_

_Lelouch_, she thought to herself as she stared at the box blade, her eyes caressing it, thinking of the pain it would cause her. Before she did this, she had to thank Lelouch for always being there for her, no matter how she was.

_It's been ten minutes since he left_, she thought, reaching for her phone that was on the counter. _And his cell is dead. He'll get the message when he turns it on tomorrow, because he will just put it on the charger tonight and fall asleep._

She pressed his speed-dial number, number five. _Perfect timing_. She waited patiently as it rung four times and then his voice came on, telling her that he was unavailable and would get back to his caller as soon as possible. She smiled, it was the last time she would ever hear his voice.

"Lelouch," she said softly, smiling peacefully into the phone. "Thank you…my…warlock…" She didn't care how corney it sounded. It was something between him and her. He wouldn't mind. He never would.

"_I'll always be there for you."_

"Thank you so much…" She hung up with that, knowing that if she stayed on too long, she would start crying, and then he would only worry.

And worry for nothing.

Dropping the phone to the floor, along with her clothes in tow, she sat herself on the side of the tub, looking down at her naked legs and then at the box cutter. Lifelessly, she watched as her thumb pushed up the blade, bit by bit, bumping it up to a reasonable length she was comfortable with before looked down at her naked thighs again.

She was amazed how easily the blade broke her skin. All she did was press it against her flesh and then rubies ran, dropping onto the cold tile floor. Then she was amazed at the pain. And the pleasure.

She had never felt something like it; it was new. It made her blood rush; it gave her a high. Ending her life had never felt better.

No one would care, all she had done was leave them in the dust as they continued to love her. Kallen, her mother, _Lelouch_.

This was for Lelouch most of all. She was hurting herself…killing herself for him. Because she couldn't love him back. Because he was suffering for her.

"Lelouch," she bit out, biting down on her lip until blood broke loose and filled her mouth with it's taste. The blade made another cut. And another. Her thigh was coated in her blood.

_Next one_, she thought, all before hissing out of both more pain and rapture. "Lelouch," the blade made larger cuts on this thigh, cutting deep and more rubies cascaded to the floor.

_Wrists_, she though, standing up with the shoot pain but ignoring it. It wasn't comparable to the suffering her loved ones had felt. Her blood ran warm against the rest of her legs. The pain was unbearable, the rapture was gone.

But she still got herself in the warm bath water, still made herself sit down in it, even though the pain worsened to an even greater level. "Lelouch!"

She sat back, eyes gazing up at the ceiling. She wouldn't shed the tears that were gathering at the corner of her eyes. She would not cry for mercy. This was her retribution.

"Warlock," she whispered, her head lolling to the side as she peered down at the bath water, realized that it was already mostly turning red. She was bleeding more than she thought she would.

She was losing life, her heart was racing, her lungs were burning, threatening respiratory arrest. Her blood pressure was rising from the pain. The stress was causing sudden cramps in her womb.

_Good_, she thought. _It's aborting_. She shakily rose her arm to her face, her tiny wrist in sight, and her other hand, just as shaky, started for it. "Lelouch…"

_**Drip**_, blood splashed in the water after she ran the blade against her wrist, breaking the skin just as easily as it did the first cut she made. She made another one on the same one, and another.

"Lelouch," she breathed weakly, pressing the blade harder against the same wrist, making sure the cut was deep. If she wanted to die from bleeding wrists, by God she better make them as deep as she could.

"I'm sorry," she breathlessly gasped, making one last laceration to her other wrist, deep as she could make it. The room began to spin when she weakly moved the dripping blade to her neck.

But she couldn't do it. She was losing too much blood at such a quicker rate then she though. She couldn't possibly slit her throat without falling unconscious.

So she just dropped the blade in the water, watched as it disappeared in it's murky blood water, landing on the bottom next to her hip. _This is enough_.

A small smile graced her tired, pain filled features as her head heavily rested against the back of the tub. She rested her arms against the sides of the bath, watched as the rubies dripped on both the floor and the tub's pearly surface, cascading down to join the same colored water.

"I'm so…" her eyes began to droop, her sight hazy and hard to focus. Her words were slurring. But her smile never left her face.

She was happy. No one would hurt no more. The witch was leaving them alone.

Forever.

* * *

Kallen Kozuki rested her legs on her boyfriend, Suzaku's legs, a bowl of popcorn in her lap. "There's nothing on," she murmured, taking a handful of the snack to her mouth, her other hand pressing the channel button on the remote. Her eyes searched through channels.

"It's the afternoon, nothing's really on during this time on Saturdays," Suzaku replied back, squeezing her small ankle warmly. "We should probably go see a movie."

"Hmm…" Kallen got a small smile on her face, brightening her features. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea!" She puffed a few red strands out of her face as she shifted to dig into her pocket. "I should call Crystal, see if she would like to go with us."

Suzaku nodded to that as he took control of the remote, continuing the continuous channel flipping.

"_This is C.C., leave your name and number…_-" Kallen puffed and rolled her eyes, ending the call. "Feh, she's probably off with Kale. I forgot, Saturdays were their," she peeked at the T.V. for a moment before looking down at the phone, pressing the call button again to call her friend once more. "Sex…" her eyes shot to the T.V. again, only to almost drop her phone. "Day…"

"_-lice got a call around four o'clock this morning from a woman named, Lori Chrysanthemum, frantically calling for an ambulance to her home, due to finding her eighteen year old daughter, Crystal Chrysanthemum-,_"

Suzaku shifted, both of their eyes wide with complete shock. The bowl of popcorn fell to the ground silently as Kallen shakily sat up, staring at the T.V. "Oh my God…"

"_-nscious in a bathtub full of blood. They have confirmed that her daughter is, in fact, dead, her time of death some time late last night, and that she had committed suici-"_

* * *

…

**The ending was incredibly hard to write, I must say. And after writing such a thing, and leaving it on that note, you guys must not only be hating me right now…but you guys must be…like…ugh…**

**I have to say, I'm numb. That was…goodness…**

**If anyone likes it, the second installment should be out on Friday, after I've recovered from writing this. :squeezes Lelouch plushie: I'm going to have nightmares…gosh…**

**Review. Tell me what you think. I don't mind if you shun me. I would shun myself. **

**Did I do okay with this? I've never written about suicide before...**


	2. Chapter 2

One Simple Difference

CODE GEASS

By: Chi~

**Disclaimer:**** Uwa! I really don't own, especially if I killed someone in the last chappy! D:**

**A/N:** I didn't get much popularity, but still people noticed this fic. Hopefully after this second installment, more people will review. I hope so, really.

Anyway, in this installment, you will see what I meant by the time space continuum and shit. Plus, this installment will shine light on the summary. So, I hope you like. (Plus, this chapter is a MONSTER!)

It was a pleasure for those who liked this and well - I guess that's about it. I'll shut up.

**Warnings: Coarse language, A LOT OF ANGST (wow, it's in caps), reference to suicide. **Spelling and Grammar Errors are _alive_ in here. Kill with your eyes or ignore. Thank you.

_Read in 3/4 view for more pleasure...and so it makes sense. Haha...haaaaaaa._

* * *

One Simple Difference

- After Premonition –

- 1 -

* * *

The light over the dining table hurt both of their eyes as they tried to adjust to the brightness. It would have been better if the room had been lit with sunshine through the many tall windows in the dining room, but it was too early for the sun to rise. Euphemia immediately regretted installing ninety watts light-bulbs in the chandelier above them. The light coming from it could be the sun it's self.

It was the least of their problems though, she thought to herself. Then she corrected herself when she peeked over to her step-brother, Lelouch, who was staring absently in his steaming coffee mug. _That's the least of his problems_.

"Lelouch," she started, wanting to reach to him but didn't know how he would react. "Please, tell me what your dream was."

He continued to stare into the steamy coffee, as if staring at himself in the brown substance. As if he was trying to find himself again.

She bit her lip. _He's in shock…_ Feeling obliged to help, she reached her hand, moving to his shoulder to touch him, but stopped when he looked up to her, staring at her with empty eyes.

"I lost my mom," he said lowly. "I lost father…Nunnally," he paused. "Oh God…Nunnally…I've let her down." He looked away, turning back to his mug. Her heart went out to him.

"…The curse has its disadvantages," she said softly, looking away from his cold form as well.

"There are _no_ advantages with having the _curse_, Euphy," he disagreed in a harsh tone. Despite the volume, which was soft, Euphemia still flinched. "Don't you remember Grandmother? She was _insane_ because of it."

She gulped, remembering their poor grandmother who had died just a year before. The poor old woman couldn't even form a correct sentence. The things she had seen through her years…it ruined her sanity. If anyone tried to touch her, she'd scream bloody murder. She'd whisper to herself. She wouldn't even notice anyone else's presence because she was so…broken.

"I see why she did," he continued. "You lose everyone because either they know about the curse and abandon you, you help them and that's the result, or you see so many things because of it and it drives you to insanity."

"Lelouch," she finally snapped after shaking the thoughts he put in her mind; the pessimism, yet the truth. "You know what I meant." But she was an optimist, because she still saw hope.

"I know what you mean," he assured. He glared down at this steaming mug. "It's…sickening…"

"I know," she said softly. "Seeing such darkness; the horribleness of the world. Murder, rape, deception, and violence." She touched his hand. "Think about the purpose of having the curse, though, Lelouch. What comes out of it?"

"A curse barer has the choice of either helping, since they foresee the future, or keeping it to them selves and watching it happen," Lelouch answered, looking back at her darkly. "I'm one of those people – I watch."

"Lelouch," she said urgently, her voice high and emotional. She was probably thinking of her past, which was probably worse than his. "Things happen if you let them. Now…I know you've seen as many murders, murders that I've seen and have solved through my work. You've seen bad things happen to people you love," she swallowed, eyes slowly turning red, but her voice stayed steady. "Why?"

His eyes stayed away from hers, not answering. The dining room was silence as their coffee finally became cold.

"_Why_, when people you love will get hurt?" She saw him bite his bottom lip, glaring harder into his mug. She read right through it, knowing exactly why he was doing so. "Father took things too far. He didn't –"

"I _told_ him everything that would happen to his company, to his life," Lelouch growled, glaring at his step sibling now. "I mean, it wasn't as if I was telling him all of it to make him lay off me because I was helping him…but he still put me through hell…" He shook his head. "Biggest mistake of my life…and then I…then I…"

"You foresaw your mother getting roughed up by your father, Lelouch!" She squeezed his hand. "You did what you had to do. And even though the result was bad, you're mother is safe and you're father won't pressure you into doing anything you don't want to do anymore!"

"I still lost them, damn it," he finally yelled, snatching his hand from hers and roughly standing up. The table shook, making her flinch for the second time that morning. "Helping…it changes nothing. You'll only lose things that are important to you."

She looked down at the table, biting her lip like he had before. Memories of her occupation, her law enforcement occupation, and recalling all the victims she hadn't been able to save. Continuously hearing the horrible news of not being able to save the life she knew would be lost, and the painful guilt she felt for failing.

"You didn't fail, Lelouch," she said softly, looking up at him again, pushing her memories away. "You didn't. You may have lost them, but you saved both your mother _and_ yourself."

He looked down, his fringe falling over his eyes and shielding them from her and the light.

She continued, "I know that Nunnally will be saved if your father starts doing shit to her; you would never stand for it." She let out a low breath, staring at him deeply.

They were silent for a moment.

Then she muttered, "What makes C.C. so different?"

"Emotional pain is not like murder. Those are psychopaths. C.C. is just a teenager who, like all teenagers, has emotional angst and self-loathing. She usually isn't like that…" He slowly raised his head, his eyes becoming visible. "…but suicide is harder to prevent – especially for someone like her."

"Oh, so you _do_ want to help her," Euphemia said softly, mostly relieved then sarcastic. "I thought-"

"…I heard her thoughts in this dream, Euphemia," he said. "Her vulnerability to love ruined her and drove her to end her life. Over and over, Kale's words ran through her mind, and since she loved him, she believed him…" he trailed.

She stared, waiting for him to continue. And then she saw something unexpected.

With a slightly flushed face, he finally continued with, "And after I proved my loyalty to her in the dream…she thought that…she loved me. And so, she became sorry when she "realized" suicide was the only conclusion to end the "pain" she was causing me and had caused Kale-"

"She commits suicide because she believes she is- Lelouch, you know what you have to do!"

"A chronic depressive is hard to get through to!" Lelouch fisted his hands. "This will be harder, and without supervision, one slip and she is _gone_."

"The pain of realizing you _could_ have done something is worse than failing or letting it happen," Euphemia fired back, her tone harsh. "This is not something for you to sit on your ass and watch, _Lelouch_!"

"What if there isn't anything I can do?! What if I still lose her?" He was yelling, his eyes springing back to life with doubt and worry and anxiety – it made her heart clench.

She let out a shaky breath, moved by the tension in the atmosphere. "You love her."

"She loves me," he bluntly agreed, looking down at the table.

"Then you know exactly what you have to do, don't you, Lelouch?" She got up, grabbed her cold coffee mug and stared him down the best she could with her bright purple eyes. "Do _not_ disappoint me…and please…do _not_ let her down…"

He couldn't utter another word.

"Whatever it takes," she said. "Doubt is out of the question."

* * *

_Despite the fact that he knew his father was a bigger, stronger person than he was - a mere thirteen year old - he still had to do what he needed. No one was going to hit his mother, not even her spouse. He would never allow it._

_His strong steps down the corridor toward his father's study echoed off the walls with dignity and sincerity. Nothing would stay in his way. _

"_Big brother!" small footsteps rushed after him, making him slow down and turn to see his worried looking sister. "Big brother, what are you doing?!"_

"_Stay away from Daddy's office, Nunnally, do you understand?" He set his hands on her shoulders, eyes hard and serious. He felt her shiver under his gaze. His grip intensified. "Do you understand," he asked louder._

"_Y-yes!" Tears began to swim in her eyes under his gaze. "B-but, big brother, please, don't do it!"_

_He shook his head at her cry. "No Nunnally, this is for Mummy."_

"_You'll get hurt!" She began to sob. "I don't want you to get hurt!"_

"_What about Mummy? Don't you care about her, too?" His grip on her small shoulders began to falter. "…you saw the dream, too."_

_She broke from his words and covered her sobbing face with her hands. Her small, fragile form shook as she wept, "But you'll get hurt – I don't want you hurt. Mummy too, I don't want her hurt too…but Daddy – Daddy's harder on you!"_

"_I have to do what needs to be done," he said softly, moving a hand to her wavy brown hair, giving her an affectionate pet. "I'm not going to let it happen, I promise you." _Not like all the other times when a person dies because I didn't do anything about it, _he added to himself._

"_I believe you, big brother," she said softly, wiping at her eyes and sniffling. "…I'd make you promise not to let him hurt you…but even a child knows that is not possible."_

_He smiled in amusement and ruffled her hair with the same hand. "Just do what I said, okay?" He watched as she looked up at him with her swollen eyes, tears still swimming lively in them. "I'd promise you that I'll get out of there without a scratch, but you already know that isn't possible either."_

_She smiled as well, wiped at her eyes again. "I bid you luck then." She grabbed his hand after reaching into her dress pocket and set something small in his hand. He looked down at it, noticed it was a mini-paper crane of purple paper. _

"_Chi taught me how to make it," she said, looking up at him. "She told me that a thousand of these can grant a wish, but I think a paper crane in general brings luck."_

"_I shall keep it with me always," he said as he analyzed the purple crane for a moment before gently and neatly setting it in his pocket. _

"…_I love you, big brother…" Nunnally still smiled, but tears rolled down her face again, streaking down her flushed, youthful cheeks. "I hope you don't get hurt too bad."_

"_I as well," he chuckled, agreeing with her. Admiration shone through his eyes as he stared down at his angelic sister, loving her for her love and respect and care for him. Even without mother's attention, she still didn't let it bother her. "Remember, no matter what you hear, don't come in," he reminded her for the third and final time, getting serious again. _

_She nodded, hic-upped, and used her wrist to wipe more tears. _

"_I love you, too. I won't let anything happen to you," he said softly, running his hand through her hair one last time before slowly backing away. "That's a promise I can make."_

"_I promise you that I'll believe you," she said back, shakily and small. "I can promise that as well."_

"_Thank you, Nunnally," he said softly before turning around and taking the last steps to his father's office. After he knocked, he looked back, saw Nunnally was gone, and felt the light-weight purple crane weigh more than he ever hoped. _

_- | -_

"_This is _it_, Charles!"_ _Lelouch stared down at his lap, watching as the blood that dripped from his nose to his pants, one drop at a time. His mother stood in front of him, as if she were protecting him. Her tone, so uncharacteristic of her to him, was harsh and loud, speaking more than the words she was saying. "I've had enough!"_

"_Marianne, you do not understand," his father stated calmly, glaring in Lelouch's direction. "Your son was making false accusations…or at least not in the past tense."_

"_What did he 'accuse' that was _so_ false, Charles," Marianne snapped, stepping in front of Lelouch more so Charles couldn't see him. "You hit him for, for Christ's sake!"_

"_He thinks I'm going to 'hit' you, or something," the man snorted after stating such. "He's going out of his mind, I tell you. He has no respect for me, and dares to pronounce me guilty of domestic violence."_

"…'_Going to' as in it 'will' happen?" Marianne huffed. "Charles, he has the curse. What he says 'will' happen, 'is' going to happen."_

"_I would never hurt you, Marianne."_

"_You believe that now, but if he says so, then it will happen." _

"_He has no business saying such things still, whether he has that stupid curse or not!" Lelouch flinched at his father's roar. "The little asshole even threatened me!"_

"_I would too, if I knew my father was going to hit my mother," Marianne said. "And I'd imagined that by now, after all he's predicted for you and _helped_ you, that you'd understand that his word will always be against yours."_

"_I swear I would never hurt you, damn it! His prediction is false, and it makes me sick just knowing he said such a thing."_

"_Well, I'm sorry Charles, but I believe him," she turned and looked down at Lelouch, softly smiling to him with motherly affection in her eyes before turning back to Charles. "Plus, you hit him."_

_Charles was quiet. Stoic._

"_You control him and shape him to your abilities, but you don't care about what he believes," she continued. If she hadn't been standing in front of Lelouch, he could have seen her ultimately gruesome expression. "You're not a father; you're a man blinded by power and who only cares about keeping that power alive. And you're killing him."_

_A pause. Charles was still silent._

"_You may have authority because you are blood, but you have neither on me and some of him, and you can't do anything to me," she said. "I will not let you mold him to your expectations any longer, Charles-" she stopped as Charles moved from behind his desk._

"…" _Charles breathed deeply as he moved closer toward Marianne, his face impassive but his eyes burning. "Perhaps he predicted right." Lelouch's eyes, even though one was almost swollen shut, widen with recognition. _

_Marianne muttered, "Yes, it seems he did," the moment Charles' hand rose and then thrust down to hit her in the face._

_But it didn't._

"_Lelouch," his mother yelled as she was pushed roughly out of the way, only to hear a '_clap!_' the moment she hit the floor. Lelouch fell back on the couch he had been sitting on, blood gushing from his nose even worse and a new red mark on his face. _

_Marianne stared at her wounded son for a moment, shocked and astounded, before looking up to her equally shocked husband and saying, "I'm divorcing your ass."_

_- | -_

"_I'm moving," he sighed softly as the pack of ice numbed his swollen eye and half of his face. Tissue was plugged up his nose, probably trying to stop the bleeding from his nose. Luckily, there were no other injuries anywhere on him; just his face had been assaulted._

_But the girl sitting in front of him was outraged. "Where?!" She gripped at her dress, biting her lip and turning red. Lelouch decided she was trying to control her anger. Which she was. "And what the hell happened, Lelouch?!"_

_He let out a breath and grumbled, "Watch your mouth, and please keep it down; I have a headache." He watched as the girl nodded, suddenly turning worried._

"_Do you want me to get you a glass of water or something?" She gave him an apologetic look and stopped gripping her dress. Then she sprung to her feet when he nodded._

"_Chi!" The girl practically yelled as she started toward the door, only to momentarily stop and look back at Lelouch with another apologetic look. "Chi-san, can you please bring up a glass of water," she said loudly then, after she had opened the door to yell down the hall. _

_The said maid, Chi, appeared suddenly right next to the girl, dressed in white frilled socks, a black dress with a traditional apron embroidered with frills, dull looking black shoes, and a hat that stuck up over dark red, curly hair. Green eyes met surprised amber. _

"_Right away, Miss Chrysanthemum," the woman smiled and bowed. _

"_C.C.," Lelouch called after her when the maid had walked away. She closed the door. "Sit with me."_

"_Lelouch," C.C. said softly moving towards him again. She sat down with him on the couch, taking the ice pack from him and kept it positioned over his eye. "Goodness. I leave you alone for two hours and then you get yourself beat up," she moved the ice pack away and observed the swelling. "Christ! What the hell did you say to get him so angry at you?"_

_His eyes gleamed with nostalgia, but he said vaguely, "Feh, anything riles the old man up these days."_

"_He still shouldn't hit you!" She pressed the cold pack to his eye again. "You could lose this eye if the swelling doesn't go down. This isn't a simple slap because you were disobedient; he was _angry_."_

"_He does worse and you know it," he said. "And not in the physical sense."_

_She was quiet as she considered the answer, only to nod in agreement. "So, guessing by how pissed off your mom was when she answered the door, she witnessed it all?"_

_He sighed once again. "Yes. Why do you think I'm moving?"_

"_Divorce?"_

"_It's every kid's nightmare, but to tell you the truth," he wiggled his nose lightly, obviously uncomfortable. "I'm quite relieved."_

"_Do you know the plan yet?"_

"_Mum is working out arrangements and contacting lawyers as we speak. I don't know where I'm moving to yet," he paused. "Most likely far from here, though."_

_She was silent, stared back at him for a while before saying, "To the country, maybe?"_

"_Probably."_

_She faked a smile, one he knew too well. "…I'm happy for you."_

_He stared back at her with his uninjured eye, trying to read her but particularly couldn't. But it didn't matter; he knew she was unhappy. After all, they had been friends for over a year now, and were practically inseparable. Of course she would be saddened with this news. Equally, he was too, but it was for his freedom. _

_His hand found her wrist and pulled her hand away from his face, the ice pack falling to his lap. He grasped her hand. "We're going to keep in touch, okay?"_

_She looked away, bit at her lip. Her green hair slid from her shoulder, falling in front of her chest. "…all right."_

"_And when we get cars in three years, and our licenses, we'll visit each other all the time," he squeezed her petite hand, still looking at her. "Especially when we need each other."_

_She squeezed back when she turned to look at him again, and saw the seriousness in his eye. It was as if he was making a promise. "Okay."_

_His lips curved upward. "Okay," he agreed, squeezing her hand once more._

_She smiled back softly, kept her hand in his. Their bond was stronger. And they knew they would always be together from that moment._

"_Lelouch-sama," Chi suddenly appeared in the room, or actually, they just noticed her there. "Your glass of…" the woman's speech trailed when she noticed how close they were and how they held hands. "Did I…interrupt?"_

_Their hands released the others and they quickly scooted away from each other. Lelouch quickly covered his eye with the ice pack and held out a hand for the glass as if nothing had happened._

* * *

"_You have forsaken me and your name," the yell brought horror to his violet eyes as he began to not job, but run. "Abomination!"_

The man's lost it_, Lelouch thought as he sped up his pace, knowing the man was running after him just as fast. _Shit!

"_You're mother has disappeared off the face of the Earth," the voice continued to yell. Lelouch could hear the other's footsteps getting closer to his. "All I have left is that little weakling you both left behind!"_

"_If you touch Nunnally," Lelouch snapped, feeling his blood suddenly boil. The threat left his lips, "I'll kill you!" How dare the man so much as clue that he will do something to his sister. Even though he hadn't had a dream about such a thing, hearing it still made his veins run with hot blood. _

"_It's good to see some balls have finally grown on you," the voice laughed its disgusting laugh. It made Lelouch shiver, even though he was sweating._

"_And it's good to see you've finally lost your mind, old man!" Lelouch quickly took a sharp turn down a street that was familiar to him, and if he hadn't been in haste, he would have noticed the street name. The sun was rising fitfully in the sky, bringing a new day. It painted the sky with its soft colors, and Lelouch was glad with the light.. _

"_You have ruined your family," the voice shouted behind him, making Lelouch almost jump from the ground due to how close it was. "You have ruined the family name!"_

"_Say what you want!" Lelouch's lungs began to burn as he reached into his jean's pocket, taking out his mobile. "You of all people know the truth, and it is not what is leaving your mouth!"_

"_The truth is that you've ruined my family, you little bastard," the voice was practically screaming out of rage by then. "I shall dispose of you! I brought you into this world – I can take you out of it!"_

"_You didn't carry me in your womb for ten months, father," Lelouch scrolled through the names on his phone, keeping up his pace surprisingly well. Perhaps it was the adrenaline as well as the fear that coursed through him that kept him moving. "You don't even have custody. Plus, it would be domestic violence, which you have already committed."_

"_Do you believe I care about the law, boy?!" The footsteps came right up behind him, making him gasp loudly. "As long as I can take your life, no law can stop me!"_

"_You mad son of a bitch!" Lelouch yelled back and quickened his pace even more, ignoring the continuous burn in his lungs. "It's been five years. Move on!"_

"_A grudge is a nasty thing, Lelouch," the voice laughed again, closer to him now. "It never lets you go, no matter how much you push it away."_

"_I can't imagine how hard it is to push away something, especially when it's coming from you," Lelouch yelled back, only to look up and see the very house he had been running to. He quickly ran to the gate and located the security – intercom system installed to it. He mashed the button, even though he knew the footsteps were only second away from him._

"_EUPHEMIA!" He yelled into the speaker, all before he was tackled to the railing of the gates. A strong hand clamped around his neck and squeezed. _

"_Such a poor son of mine," his father's eyes glared into his with a wicked face. "It is only a father's right doing to put his son out of his misery." _

"_And it…" Lelouch gasped for breath, but couldn't find any. "…it is a human's right, to have its defenses and to defend themselves."_

"_Are you bidding a threat," Charles grounded, the hand tightened around his neck._

"_N-no," Lelouch choked out, but kept his eyes on his father's perfectly. "I am only telling you that if you kill me…I am…above you- whether you believe it or not." His mobile fell out of his hand and landed on the ground with an audible crash. "I will always be above you, you pathetic soul."_

_The man roared like a monster, growled like a tiger, and pushed Lelouch's skinny frame against the railing as if he were trying to push him through the bars. "_You_ are pathetic! You are- "_

"_Father," a new voice; a bright voice interrupted the man's nasty words. The sound of a gun being cocked echoed through the air into their ears. "You have five seconds to get to the rightful distance of the restraining order."_

"_Euphy," his father muttered, before looking down at him and letting go of his neck. "You have forsaken me to?"_

_The gun went off, a bullet hitting a railing or two away from Lelouch on the gate. A threatening spot. "Get away from him!"_

_- | -_

_Perspiration made his hair stick to his face. "I am _not_ going to school today," he said breathlessly as he and Euphemia stepped into the living room moments later. His father had ran away, yelling more bullshit to Lelouch (which Lelouch didn't even listen to anymore), and Euphemia was walking around with a loaded gun on her possession, making Lelouch feel a little awkward – besides worn out._

"_Of course you're not," she gesture to his neck. "You bruise easily. It would turn purple and black by the time you even get to school."_

_If Lelouch hadn't felt traumatized from an assault by his father, he would have retorted that she bruised just as easily. But he was, so all he did was slowly sit down on the nearest couch and take out his slightly damaged mobile. "Sometimes I wonder why the hell I even ride the bus…when I have a car."_

"_I ask the same thing, and yet there's no answer, is there. You can easily pick up Rivals on the way to school and get there faster then a bus. Plus, you don't even have to wait," Euphemia agreed with a slightly confused tone. "I guess you're just lazy…?"_

_He glared at her._

_She threw her hands up, turned on her heal as she announced she was going to get an ice pack for his neck. Leaving the living room, he scrolled through his phone contacts again with privacy at hand until he found that very name he was about to call before his father got a hold of him. He immediately pressed the 'call' command without a moment's hesitation._

_Her voice answered on the second ring. "Hey. You've never called me this early before, Lelouch," her voice rang, seeming in high spirits._

_Even though it was out of her character, even C.C. couldn't keep her happiness down. Lelouch reminded himself that C.C. had been going out with Kale for at least a year. It was a good thing for her, he supposed, because after he moved she became…different. And he had left only five years before; therefore, a little life in her voice was like music to his ears._

_Too bad he had to give her the news about what had happened minutes ago, knowing that it would only flare her anger._

"_My dad came – no, attacked me just now – when I was walking to Rivals' house," Lelouch replied, fixing the collar of his school shirt. His neck was beginning to cause discomfort._

"_He went against the restraining order?" He heard his best friend let out a sharp, firm breath. Just as he predicted; she was pissed. "I'm coming."_

"_Now, C.C., that's nice and all, but you have –"_

"Beep. Beep. Beep –"

"_Damn it,"_ _Lelouch growled, snapping his phone shut._

_At that moment, Euphemia reemerged with a blue ice pack in her hands, solid and slightly covered with frost. "What," she asked with a sharp, urgent tone. "Is he calling you now?"_

_Before his step went outside with her gun – again – he quickly said, "No; C.C.'s coming."_

"_You asked her to come?" She handed him the ice pack but turned to the window, pulling away the blinds to peer outside. She was probably making sure his father didn't come back. Lelouch knew that if his father did come back, it would probably be a death wish. _

_Watching thigh holster expose her simple yet vicious-looking (and loaded, might he add), gun, he answered with a flinch, "No, she decided to come by herself. I had no say." He pressed the ice pack to his neck, flinching again a moment later from the sudden temperature change to his skin, and the frost nipping at him. "She's probably speeding and running over cats by now."_

"_Sometimes I think she cares more for you then a friend would," Euphy sighed stepping away from the window after making sure everything was clear. "Like she loves you or something," she continued, turning to his somewhat pained expression. Then she looked away. "Urr…but I'm sure she's just being _friendly_."_

"_You talk too much," he breathed, closing his eyes and relaxing against the couch more. The run and intensity made him suddenly feel exhausted after sitting for a while. _

"_Go lie down, Lelouch-nii. I already called your school and told them you were sick with a bad throat," Euphemia suggested, smiling to him with a childish glint in her eye. _

_He opened his eyes as he snorted, "Lying for me now, Euphy-nee?" He rolled his eyes then. "You hate lying. You didn't have to do it – "_

"_Do you think that matters now," she asked incredulously with a shake of her head. "To bed, young man. And it _technically_ wasn't a lie," she added at the last second._

"_Yes, lady with the gun," he complied with her command, getting up from the couch with a sigh and starting out the room. "Better not ever point that thing at me."_

"_You seem like someone who would use it quite skillfully, Lelouch," she said with a serious tone that was obviously forced. _

_He faked a laugh in the snootiest way he could do it. "Funny, funny."_

"_Bed," she said harshly, just as he put his foot on the first step of the staircase. "And Sayoko will wake you when C.C. is here."_

_- | -_

_Lelouch woke up to someone lying next to him. He could feel their eyes on his face, staring at him so intently he could sense it perfectly. Gratefully, he knew exactly who it was._

_Without opening his eyes, he asked with a slight smirk on his face. "How long are you here for?"_

_He heard her snort and heard the pillow next to his ruffle, making him know she was shaking her head. "As long as you need me here, my Warlock," she whispered back._

_This time, he was the one who snorted. "Sure. You're probably going to leave before dawn tomorrow or something. I know you, Witch."_

_She sighed. "Open your eyes."_

_And when he did, he saw exactly what he had predicted that moment – amber eyes staring back at his with a face impassive yet with the smallest smile anyone could ever see. Her green bangs framed her face perfectly, brushing against her porcelain cheeks in the most elegant way. _

_If Lelouch was a sap, he would have though the way she looked took his breath away._

_Thank God he wasn't._

"_Hello," he greeted lazily, staring at her with a forced, bored expression._

_She did the same. "Hi."_

"_Did you tell Kale you were coming?"_

_Her pupils dilated for a moment before she muttered, "Shit."_

_He didn't stop himself from laughing in the wickedest way possible as she rolled away from him on the bed and ran out with her cellular in hand. _

_It was a shame she had someone else who was the light of her life then, he thought, hearing her softly speak into her phone in the gentlest way he'd ever heard. She was different and yes, it was a good difference, but…_

_For some reason…he just didn't feel like he was her main priority anymore – that he was just a good old friend that she still cared for…but just didn't have the time for. _

"_Perhaps I do love her," he said to himself lowly, knowing no one heard him. He wanted it that way. Alone. "Oh well…"_

"_Oh well – what?" C.C. was back in the room, having just got off the phone. She had a light blush on her face, along with remnants of a smile._

"_Nothing," he answered, looking down at his hands that were messing his sheets. It was obvious Kale had a good affect on her. Deep down, though, even though he trusted C.C.'s judgment, he still didn't trust the guy. Kale seemed like he really liked C.C. back…but there was something in his eyes that just…told Lelouch that he wasn't all _too_ comfortable with C.C. as she was with him. It was like…he would just, throw her away like trash and go on to some other girl – one who showed her personality more and was probably prettier. Lelouch didn't want to tell his true feelings about him to C.C.. She would get defensive and it would lead to a stupid argument that none of them had the time for. _

_Though, keeping his mouth shut was hard._

_She came over and sat down next to him on the bed, staring at him; possibly trying to read him. "'Oh well' that your life is full of bullshit because of your father? 'Oh well' that your sister is stuck with him and your mother is invisible? 'Oh well' that you just don't know what to do?"_

_He smirked lightly, shrugged even though it hurt his ridiculously bruised neck. He obviously had his mother's skin – porcelain skin. "Actually, if I was actually contemplating on my life, I would say 'Fuck it', not 'Oh well'." _

"_Ahh…I as well. Actually, I do believe I've said it myself before," she said with a slight far-away look in her eyes. " 'My dad was a pedophile for his own child; I was pregnant with his child once; my mother was afraid to do anything until he started hitting her with his drunken ass, and now I'm seventeen with a guy I really like – here's what I have to say about my life – Fuck it!' " _

_They both laughed with each other, remembering the very day she had said those exact words. Both of them, talking about their lives and how they felt about them – having many laughs with their sarcastic sense of humors and meaningless insults. _

_He sighed after they quieted down, nodding his head. "Yeah…pretty screwed up lives…"_

"_Are we not breathing," C.C. asked. "We're fucking lucky to be alive…" she trailed for a moment before turning away from him to turn on the nearest lamp. "Did he hurt you?"_

_He sensed the protectiveness just from the way she talked. "I –."_

"_If he did, I'll fucking __**kill**__ him," she growled uncharacteristically._

_He rolled his eyes. "Yes, calm down Miss Badass before you open a dimension from hell," he tugged her back over to him, pulled her into a soft hug. "…I'd lie, because you're usually true to your word…but it'll only get you madder if I do so…"_

_Pushing her back gently by her shoulders, he averted his gaze as he leaned back his head and moved the collar of his shirt from his neck, giving her a tall-tale of what happened. 'U' shaped, purple and blue bruises were on his naturally pale skin, appearing worse then what they really were. _

_She reached up a little, grazed her finger tip against one of the bruises before quickly retracting when he flinched audibly. "…how'd you get out of…_that_?"_

"_You know the gate?"_

_She nodded, knowingly._

"_I called for Euphemia before he got his hands on me. She came out with a gun."_

_C.C.'s eyes widened considerably. "And? Did she fire?"_

"_She shot at the gate, barely missed me; it scared the shit out of me," he sighed, fixing his shirt before moving his head a little, cracking his neck even though it bothered him. _

_Suddenly, her arms were around his waist and her head on his chest. He blinked down at the top of her head, confused to why she would show such sudden affection. _

"_I'm sorry I wasn't there…" she said softly in his chest, tightening her arms around him warmly. _

"_C.C.-"_

"_Lelouch," she moved back her head and looked up into his eyes, as serious as he'd ever seen her. "I live with my mom, who's great and is the mother I didn't have when I was a kid. I have Kale; I have friends and a scholarship…and you're father is still making your life miserable."_

_He sighed. "But you have your own life to take care of now; you shouldn't worry about-"_

"_Who was there for me when my father died? Who was there for me to cope with his death and the memories he left behind?"_

"…"

"_So shut up."_

"_A-ah…" he chuckled. Then, wrapped his arms around her, returning the hug. "…all right." _I'm glad you're always here for me, you witch,_ he thought with both amusement and contentment. _

* * *

In the midst of the memories of his life and C.C., he had walked himself in the dark morning, through the streets until he came to the neighborhood park. Surfacing from the haze of memory lane, he noticed the small drops dripping onto the sand from the swings. Dew and moisture made the grass slightly sparkle under the street light's blaze. The smell of fall rain assaulted his nose.

_And then he was sitting in another park._

_It was a park with a large fountain and beautiful stone walkways. Dew was on the lush green grass, but the sun made the drops on the grass sparkle more elegantly. Dark clouds were moving away from the park as the sun shone more and more on it, bringing a warm blue sky of summer, right after a storm. _

_At only twelve, most boys his age would be playing video games or wasting their lives on the web, but Lelouch was swamped with activities and expectations by his father, which took almost all of his time. He was even surprised he had the free time to even walk to the park._

_But, even though he knew it wouldn't be smart to use the only free time he had (and he didn't get it much), sitting in the park, he had to clear his head. It was an escape where he could block out the nagging voice of his father, and clear his mind of all the hatred he felt for him. His father was depriving him of personal freedom and dumped so many expectations on him that Lelouch could hardly breathe. _

_His father had done this to him all his life. Suffocating him until there was nothing left for him to do except listen to him. Was that how a father was supposed to be? _

_It depressed Lelouch to a great extent that his father treated him as he did, even if he helped him with his business. The curse had been beneficial – yet, only to his father and not himself, the curse barer. It would never be for him. Not with a selfish man as the one he helped. But, Lelouch felt that it _was_ his sonly duty to notify his father about something important to him and what's going to happen to it. What kind of son would he be? Like his father, but in a different way?_

_Lelouch didn't want anything to do with that. He wasn't like his father. And to be completely honest with himself, he decided that if he ever did turn out like his father – he would kill himself._

_It was stupid oath to himself, he thought as he sat down at a random bench under a near-by tree, blocking him from the sun. Killing himself was absolutely not a solution to anything. Besides, suicide was a sin and he believed it. _

_So what was he going to do with his life, even though his father would probably control it until the man dies? Was he just going to keep himself isolated, like his father wanted him to be, with no "distractions" or "personal attachments" because they were absolutely not worth it? And did that even make sense?_

_And why should he even be thinking about his future, Lelouch asked himself with a sad expression forming on his face. His life was already planned out._

_Suddenly, someone sat down next to him, giving him a little fright and making him jump. Who could just sit down next to him with such heaviness and not even think about who was sitting there and what they were doing? He thought the bench was sort of isolated, due to the shadiness and how blocked off it was by bushes. But, apparently not._

_Slowly looking over with a complaint hanging from his mouth to be said, his eyes roamed over a girl with green hair down to her shoulders. She was dressed in a black dress, with black gloves, a black hat with a netted veil, and black high-heeled shoes. From the looks of her face, from what he could see behind the veil and her bangs, she had been crying._

_It was obviously someone who had worse problems then him._

_He opened his mouth to apologize and to ask if she wanted to be alone, but her eyes met his and he was frozen in place by her exotic, golden gaze. _Don't leave_, he could make out through them. And he didn't know why she did. They were complete strangers. But she kept looking back at him with that very look. _

_How could he refuse?_

_Stiffly nodding, he averted his gaze from hers and looked across the park. The dark clouds were still present, but somehow, the patches in the clouds shone streams of light. It was obvious that the sun was extra bright that day. _

_Children played in the streams of light, and Lelouch couldn't help but pronounce it heavenly and beautiful. He also couldn't help but think of the butterfly effect – beautiful things happening on the worst of days. _

"_My father just died," the girl said softly, staring at the same scenery as him._

_He bit his lip before he said softly, "I hate my father."_

_A moment later, after she began to choke on a sob, she tearfully confessed, "I hated mine, too."_

It wasn't the best meeting in the world, especially since they were strangers who had hatred for their creator, but it was a meeting of pure chance – completely coincidental. And what had happened after?

A friendship. A close friendship that had a bond of simple standards – help and be helped. To always be there, no matter what.

And here he was, at another park, at a loss of conclusion to his life and what he was going to do with it. And it was different circumstances too, due to the fact that his father held no custody over him and had a restraining order that kept him a great distance away; it was circumstances of suicide.

The suicide of someone he was in love with.

And he wondered, if he sat down at a bench on a side of the walkway he was walking on that moment, would someone just sit down next to him and help him out? Would someone just confess something random to him and then he would find all the answers? Would beams of light shine down and cast such a beautiful sight he'd ever seen that he'd feel closure and confidence as it had before?

No. It was plain and simple. _No_.

The full moon would be there to stay. No matter what bench he sat on, someone would just sit down next to him and he would be okay. There was no answer he could get form anyone…

But himself.

And the answer was right in front of him. Yet, he was holding back his hand, as if the answer would burn him and cause him so much pain he would beg to die. Had it always been like this? Had he always had this difficult metaphor every time he contemplated on telling his father his business' fate? Or, when he was going to change his mother's fate? Had he gone through this?

No. Absolutely not. So why was it so hard? Because it shouldn't be. Not because he loved her and that if he failed it would be a large burden, both on his soul and heart. But it was.

But…

"_What makes C.C. so different?" _

* * *

Suddenly, he found himself stuffing clothes in a bag and Euphemia behind him spreading a worried atmosphere.

"Lelouch-nii!" Euphemia started slowly. "Are you all right? Why are you in such a hurry- "

"Today is the sixteenth," he said as he dug deeper in his closet, grabbing what he could. He then moved from the closet to his Chester drawers, taking out pairs and pairs of boxers along with socks and night pants. "She is supposed to kill herself on the eighteenth."

He heard his step-sister sigh such a relieved sigh, he thought she would deflate to nothing but skin. "Thank God…"

He was quiet as he dropped the bag to the floor and stopped his foot in it, cramming overflowing clothes into it. "She's going to be calling me in two hours, I need to get going."

He could tell she was smiling in her silence. But she spoke only three words as he dug in his closet for yet another bag. "You love her."

He stopped, shook his bag so it wouldn't be some mashed up ball, and looked over to her impassively. "She loves me."

"I'll take care of school and – and anything! You just do what you need to, okay?"

"I figured you would."

"Oh~! You smarty," she laughed and finally stepped over to him, bringing him into a hug that he welcomed. "Take as long as it takes; you'll work it out. I believe in you…"

"…"

"Just like Nunnally would," she said softly in his hair, before she kissed it and stepped back, smiling down at him with a bright smile he hadn't seen in a while. "I'll get Sayoko to fix up your car and what not," she childishly giggled as she scampered off, leaving him in a huff.

He guess she felt a lot for C.C., because he had never seen her act like that, not since she got a new boyfriend she was crazy about. That was a long time ago.

He shook his head, went to his dresser across the room next to his desk, digging out more clothes for however long it was going to take to get C.C. through this. As he packed and Euphemia beamed, C.C. was falling deep into darkness as her boyfriend, who she loved more than he thought, bashes her and leaves her alone in her sorrow.

As he dug and threw clothes in the second bag, his eyes suddenly caught a picture of C.C., when she was spending the summer with him at a beach resort only a year before. Nunnally had come with them, of course, and he'd taken a lot of pictures of his precious, tall little sister. But, the sunset was perfectly set behind C.C., so he couldn't resist.

It was a beautiful picture. The low tide was in but it was wavy, visibly crashing against the shore behind her feet. The sunset, painting the sky with multiple colors and hues, was right behind her, changing her eyes to a bright gold that sparkled. Her hair was in a side-ponytail, hanging over her should and covering some of her bikini top, which was black. Her smile shined brighter then the setting sun itself, because he had actually made her laugh to get a smile out of her.

His arm reached over, made his hand lightly run over the picture frame in remembrance. A beautiful day of the best time of their lives, and she looked her most beautiful. The wicked witch she was. The girl he fell in love with during Junior High.

"_You love her_."

"_She loves me_._"_

"_I love you…Lelouch…"_

Her blood would be on his hands. And she would still, always, take the blame. "_Lelouch_,_"_ he could still hear her breathless, fading voice, _"I'm sorry_…"

If he failed…

"_This is a once in a life time opportunity…"_

"_I'm glad you're jumping to the chance…"_

"_I'm proud of you…"_

"_I owe it to her…She loves me."_

His breath hitched.

"_You love her."_

_You love her_, he repeated to himself. _You love her…_ Doubt was not a choice, not when he had already decided he would save her. The pounds would have to weight him down, because he was not going to fail. He swore on that.

* * *

He was already parked in the school parking lot when she called. He peeked at the clock before he accepted the call. _Right on time_, he thought. _Here we go._

"C.C.," he said softly, faking a questioning tone.

"_Lelouch…_" he heard her falter for a moment before letting out a small sob. "_I need you_."

"I'm already here," he hoped she wouldn't find that peculiar.

"_I see you had one of those feelings again, huh; you just knew something bad was happening to me?_" He heard her sniffing softly and how it audibly echoed through out the surroundings she was in. The bathroom. Just like in the dream.

"Yes, I did," he let out a small breath before turning off his car. "Come on. You'd better get out of there before the bell rings and you're caught sneaking with a runny nose."

He heard her scoff, and it almost made him amused. But he knew. She was faking it.

"_I'm coming,_" she whispered to him, making it seem as if she were right there where he was. He wasn't surprised when he felt the urge to hug her.

When the line cut off, he peered over to the school's front doors, until he noticed a certain blonde that he was familiar with. A blonde…who was kissing a girl with black hair that curled at the…ends…

His heart sped up with rage as he observed the scene that was unfolding right in front of his car, raising his blood pressure and practically turning his pale face to an overripe apple. It was Kale – the boy who ruined C.C.'s life, according to the dream, two weeks ago; the one who practically caused her to kill herself only two days from that moment.

He wanted to throw something. Beat the asshole up. But he knew that since he wasn't the athlete he was before high school, he wouldn't even be able to throw a proper punch. He _could_ get a few knocks in there, but he wouldn't be able to last. Hell, even C.C. would be able to beat someone up better than him.

If only he had a rocket-launcher…

Instead of basking in the thoughts of Kale and _Rachel_'s body blowing to itsy-bitsy bits, he finally came to the perfect revenge plan: piss. Kale. Off.

With that conclusion in mind, he gladly sat back in his seat, checking the front doors of the school before he just '_accidentally_' mashed his palm against the horn.

_BEEP!_

He held back a hearty laugh when Kale and Rachel screeched and scrambled, sliding off the hood of the car they were almost having "sex-with-clothes" on. He did let out a laugh or two when they actually fell to the concrete, screeching once again in unison as they tried to get to their feet.

"Dude!" He wiped the smile off his face when Kale was suddenly on his feet and stepping towards his car, arms out in a 'What-the-fuck' formation. "What's the problem?"

Lelouch rolled down his window, faked an impassive face (even though he was laughing so hard inside that very instance), and calmly said, "On school premises, you're suppose to keep the PDA down – not dry-hump each other."

"…Lelouch," Kale asked, coming over to his window to get a better look at Lelouch, since his car's windows were tinted. "…why are you here?"

"C.C.," Lelouch answered, forcing down a hot tone and angry snarl. Just the boy's prescience made him burn with a strong, murderous aura.

Kale must have sensed it in some way, because he was a good distance from Lelouch's car, slightly shifting on his feet in a disgustingly nervous manner. "Her and I broke up."

"She hasn't told me, but _somehow_ I already know that," he answered sourly, not holding back any longer. "She may not show emotions well, be she's still clear as water."

"She's not what you think, Lelouch," Kale said, shaking his head with determined eyes of gray-blue. "She just can't be trusted. She was always behind me instead of in front of me."

Lelouch pinned him with a vicious glare that would have killed him instantly, if only look could kill. "Who's known her longer, Kale?"

"Lel-"

"I never trusted you," Lelouch snarled. "So I suggest you just stop talking to me; this is the last time we'll ever speak again."

Kale opened his mouth again, this time with a somewhat irritated look on his face. It was obvious he truly believed what that Rachel-bitch had told him. Lelouch rolled up his window before the idiot could say anymore. He was a waste of his time.

Thinking about the last thing he said to him, '_this is the last time we'll ever speak to each other_,' made him wonder if he had just threatened him or just said it because it was the truth? Would he actually _kill_ Kale if he ever saw him in his life time?

_C.C. loved him,_ Lelouch thought watching as Kale angrily glared at where he thought Lelouch was, since the windows were so tinted, as he made his way back to a confused Rachel. _If I killed him, she would never forgive me._

Sighing to himself, Lelouch looked up at the ceiling of the cockpit of his car, restraining himself from promising himself that he would _kill_ Kale in the future. Perhaps he would see Kale's death in his dream some night and have the _joy_ of not reporting it to Euphemia.

Before he could actually chuckle at the thought, there was a knock at his window. He looked over, wondering if it was C.C. signaling for him to unlock the doors – but, no. It wasn't. It was Rachel.

Feeling his blood pressure raise to high-heights, enough to make him light-headed with pure fury, he rolled down the window.

"I hear you're a good friend of C.C.'s." She flicked her long, pure black hair over her shoulder with a twinkle in her eyes. She was just as beautiful as she was in the dream.

It made him sick.

"You heard right," he confirmed dryly, yet pleasant.

"She's a real _witch_, isn't she," Rachel giggled to herself, evil amusement in her partially violet-blue eyes.

"That's her nickname, for fun," Lelouch smirked himself, though the murderous intent was shining in his eyes with hunger. Luckily, she didn't notice because she didn't even move. "Not for real though."

The bitch snorted in the most disgusting way he'd ever seen. He wanted to actually spit on her, but refrained himself. Words hurt more than fists.

"I call 'em as I see 'em, and I'm usually right," she exclaimed, a confident smile on her pretty ugly face.

"I do too," he smiled this time, making her blink and slightly blush. His charm was still there, he thought as he smirked inside.

Having the need to make this more amusing for him, he leaned in close to her face, making her think that he was probably going to kiss her. And if any girl was in her right mind, she wouldn't even put her boyfriend before getting a kiss from Lelouch Lamperouge.

Stopping right where his lips were incredibly close to touching her rosy, full ones, he acted like he was breathing her in with delight. In truth, the perfume she was wearing was making him sick to his stomach. With half-lidded eyes, he observed the look on her face. Her eyes were closed, full lashes practically brushing over her cheeks; her lips were pursed and ready.

"And I'm _always _right," he continued in a soft, husky voice. "And what I see is a low-life bitch that may have good analyzing skills, but uses it to be a whore instead of using it to her advantage. I'd title that as an: _Incredibly Stupid Prostitute._"

As if slapped in the face, she gasped and backed away from his car as he faked a confused look. But she could tell – he knew – that he was laughing inside.

"You- you assh-!"

He tilted his head in a cute way, blinking with an oblivious look in his eyes. "What? I call 'em as I see 'em."

As she threw multiple and incoherent curses at him, he happily flicked her off and rolled his window up with the brightest smile he could muster. And then he watched as she went into an insane stage of rage, screaming at his car and turning her beautiful face into the ugly, angry, sluttish bitch she was. He had the biggest laugh of his life when Kale rushed over, two back-packs on his back, and practically dragged the furious Rachel away – as far away as he could get from Lelouch's car.

He was still laughing minutes later, basking in his victory of avenging C.C.'s emotions and distress. But he quickly stopped and kept the laughs inside when C.C. finally came out. _Time to be serious. You know what to do_, he thought to himself, pressing his finger to the button that would unlock the rest of his car.

Her eyes were red, he noticed, as she slid into the passenger side and threw her bag into the backseat. She then slammed the door shut and practically threw her arms around him. Acting surprised, he hesitantly wrapped his arms around her, asking her what was wrong with an oblivious tone.

"We need to go to a pharmacy," she said with the broken tone that was in the dream. It was more heart wrenching in real life; his heart was breaking.

Still acting stupid, he asked, "Why," as she sat back in her seat, wiping her eyes.

"I might be pregnant," she said, choking on a sob.

What was he supposed to do? Just tell her, '_yeah, I know that. And you are. Because I had a dream where you committed suicide in a very emo-ish way,'_?

He stayed with the flow by acting shocked and starting out the school parking lot at once. _Nice and slow_, he told himself, even though the truth wanted to bounce off his tongue.

_Nice and slow._

* * *

**Notes:** Unfortunately, due to how LONG this thing is, I am breaking it into two parts for your comfort. It would take a long time to read the rest. Also, I am really sorry that it took me forever to put this up. I finished this a week or a few days ago (I actually don't know), and it's just been sitting in my comp. for that long (however long) and so, yeah. Anyways, here's some things that I wanted to clarify before I forget (if you care):

**In the last chapter, it said Lelouch and C.C. met in Middle School and then Lelouch left in Junior High. **When I was in lower grades, my schools were different. There was Elementary, then there was Intermediate. Intermediate, for those of you who don't know, is actually a Middle School. After that, I went to Junior High School. So, that's why it's like that, because Middle School and Junior High are the same, but for me it was different. Sorry for the confusion~.

**In this chapter, it said that Lelouch was in the womb for ten months. **I don't know why I did it, but I guess I just wanted to add more to his personal information I made up in this story. In this world, Lelouch was pretty reluctant to be born. Once you think about it, it's something very possibly, considering who he is, haha.

**In this chapter, it made a joke where Euphemia said Lelouch would be quite good at handling a gun. **I don't know why I did that either, but I guess I just decided to put some stupid humour in this. Suicide is a serious thing, so _some_ humour should be in here to lighten the mood. So, meh...just broke the fourth wall a little, no biggy.

**In this chapter, Charles chokes Lelouch. **Once again, slight fourth wall breakage. Gomenai, but I couldn't resist.

Okay, now that _that's_ taken care of, I want to let you know the rest of the info. Now, I have recently been obsessing over Prince of Persia, because I bought the most recent game for my b-day, played it, and loved it. Therefore, the "third" installment of this fic will probably be up….a _long time from now._ I'm really sorry for that, but I have inspiration to make the fanfics for that. Now, most likely, if I get bored of making those, I will write the third installment and then it'll be up no time…but that's just not something I see happening any time soon. But, I _will_ make official that when I _am_ done with this PoP phase, I will come back to this, and the rest, of my awesome stories of this couple. So, until then, give me awesome feed-back, and I'll do the best that I can. Sayonara, minna~!


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